Labour deputy leader election: Phillipson takes early lead in exclusive member poll

Exclusive polling conducted overnight for LabourList by Survation shows Bridget Phillipson taking an early lead among Labour members in the contest to be deputy leader of the Labour Party.

The poll, which had 1,308 respondents, sought views on a number of names – including some who have already ruled themselves out of the running since like Louise Haigh, who was joint top with Phillipson.

LabourList readers who say they are Labour members were asked: “To what extent, if at all, do you think that each of the following MPs would make a good or bad candidate for Deputy Leader of the Labour Party?”

Of those candidates who have currently declared, Phillipson tops the poll with an overall favourability rating – the percentage of members who say they are a good candidate, minus those who say they are a bad candidate – of +39 per cent. Emily Thornberry is the next most popular candidate with +20 per cent.

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Other candidates so far declared are further behind, with Lucy Powell having an overall favourability of 1 per cent, and Bell Ribeiro-Addy of -3 per cent.

For those candidates whose names are being mooted who have yet to declare one way or another, Alison McGovern has a 19 percent favourability rating; Meg Hillier is on 14 per cent; Sarah Owen on 13 per cent; Stella Creasy is on 10 per cent; And Nadia Whittome is on -5 per cent.

All figures exclude ‘don’t knows’ and those who haven’t heard of the MPs – which means that less well known candidates may have the chance to raise their numbers as they also raise their profiles.

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A name not being discussed in SW1 but near the top of the poll is former Labour Leader – and LabourList cabinet favorability ranking favourite Ed Miliband, who is third (with 30 per cent) behind Phillipson and the now-ruled-out Louise Haigh (39 per cent).

Bottom of the list was the man just appointed Deputy Prime Minister, David Lammy, with a net favourability of -23 percent.

The poll is the latest in a series of regular polls LabourList is publishing in partnership with leading pollsters Survation, a member of the British Polling Council and a Market Research Society Company Partner.

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